


You, me and Irene

by CamelotLady



Series: Moments [14]
Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 00:44:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamelotLady/pseuds/CamelotLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Joan and Sherlock are together as a couple when the events of episode 23 took place. Joan feels conflicted about Irene's presence in Sherlock's life, but she's willing to accept her because of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You, me and Irene

She shouldn’t feel threaten by anything or anyone, because she knows their relationship is solid. She trusts him, he trusts her, there’s no question in that. But she can’t help but being scared at Irene being alive, especially at Sherlock’s reaction when he saw her again. It was understandable for her because he loved Irene, and he thought she was dead which caused him to be broken. The last thing Joan wanted was for him to feel that all over again, and that was the main reason why she couldn’t help but feel uneasy at her presence.

His eyes were glued to the hospital window of the room where Irene lay. Neither of them could listen to what the doctor was saying but neither of them cared; the expression on her face was the only thing Sherlock was worried about, Joan could tell. She was disoriented, she looked lost and out of this world.

“I’m here, if you want to talk” she told him, taking small careful steps towards where he was sitting.  He never looked at her, he never said a word. Joan felt her heart crushing little by little inside her heart, she couldn’t help but feel he was slowly slipping away from her.

Before she could start a conversation again, Captain Gregson walked in. She could tell he was a shocked as they were when they found Irene, alive.

“What did you find in the house?” Joan asked him as he approach them

“ Not much of anything yet CSU’s there with Bell” He eyed inside the room, where Irene lay against the pillow.“Is that Irene?” Captain asked them. Sherlock, still unresponsive blinked a couple of times which lead Joan to answer.

“Yes, that’s her”

“Have you spoken to the doctor yet?”  Gregson spoke directly to Sherlock, but he remained quiet. He exchanged a confused look with Joan, who shrugged when she couldn’t quite voiced her concern with him.

“No, he’s still talking to her…”

The door opens just in time, the doctor walking out of the room with a fret look on his face.

“How is she?” Joan is the first one to ask, noticing how (once again) Sherlock remains quiet. He was probably still in shock because it was odd to her seeing him so silent.

“Your friend is fine, physically” the doctor explained “But if I had to put a name in it, I would say that she’s suffering from severe post-traumatic stress”

“What happened to her?” Joan asked

“She doesn’t remember everything clearly, but she was abducted, moved from place to place. There were five that she told me about and then she was subjected to advanced psychological pressure tactics” the doctor spoke “Seems that somebody had set out to systematically destroy this young woman’s personality and for the life of me I cannot give you a reason why”

“Did she talk about the people who took her?” Gregson questioned him

“She dealt with only one person. He named himself  Mr Stapleton” the doctor continued “By day, he tinkered with her mind, left white peonies by her bed at night. Punishment, reward, all designed to make Ms Adler psychologically dependent on her captor. I will give her a sedative and we’re gonna keep her on psych hold for a few days”

“Thank you, doctor” Joan told him and the man disappeared behind the door.

“Its odd to hear this man saying he doesn’t know why this happened to Irene” Sherlock spoke. Joan watched him, his voice full of emotion and sadness “It was because of me”

“Sherlock…” she interrupted him, taking a sit next to him. She reached out for his hand, holding it tightly between hers as he spoke and grateful he didn’t move away.

“Moriarty…wanted me to believe she was dead” he whispered, swallowing hard “let me mourn her, get addicted to heroin. And then when I made steps towards recovery, to a brand new me, he sends her back. How did I not know she was alive?  What did I miss? I don’t…I don’t understand”

“Sherlock, this isn’t…”

“Don’t.” he stopped her, eyes still glued to the window, watching as Irene slept peacefully against the pillow “Don’t tell me this isn’t my fault because you know it is. She could have been safe, she could have had a life it wasn’t for me. I destroyed her”

“Irene has been hurt badly but she’s alive and she can get better” she told him “you can help her”

“Yes, of course” he murmured, giving her hand a light squeeze. “Whatever she needs”

“Besides, we’ve got clues we can go back to the house and get the man who did this to her…”

“I don’t think I should consult on this case” He spoke, stopping her midsentence “It’s…too personal. I think its better for me to sit this one out”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,  I need to look after her”  he whispered “I don’t think I’d be much use, Moriarty is clearly smarter than I am. A man should know when its beaten…”

He got up, slowly letting her hand go and walking directly towards Irene’s room. She watched him as he stood at the foot of her bed, and just stared at her sleeping form. Something deep within her broke, not because of them no, but because she feared he will be broken again.

 

THREE DAYS LATER.

She didn’t complain when Sherlock suggested Irene should stay with them, partially because she thought it was in fact the best option.  It didn’t mean, thought, she was absolutely hundred percent that having her living under the same roof was the world’s brightest idea, but she reminded herself constantly that she was doing  this, agreeing with him, because he wanted to see him happy and right now to him what made him happy was keeping Irene safe and content.

Still she couldn’t help but feel she was getting in the way of allowing him to protect her, probably because somehow Sherlock still considered her a distraction and even thought this was a proper case, it was still something he had to deal with. Hence she might distract him from accomplish the only thing he was worried about.

“How do you think she’s doing?” She asked her. He eyed her sideways while he waited the kettle to boil.

“She seems less disoriented than she was before” he told her, turning around as he spoke. “She has a few question about this Moriarty character, but don’t we all?”

“Should we talk about a plan?”

“I look after her”

“No, I mean…” she sighed, shifting her weight from side to side.  “Should we talk about how this is going to work? I mean I want to help in any way I can but I…do you even want me around?”

Sherlock frowned, stepping away from the cook and moving closer to her. He was visibly confused at her inquiry.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s going to be a bit crowded in here, maybe the best option is for me to say with Emily for a while…so you can focus solely on protecting her.”

“No, this is our home” He told her “I want you here with me. I need you here with me. I know this is hard and confusing, but taking care of Irene why we figure this out doesn’t mean I want you away.”

“You told me, not long ago, that I was a distraction for you. I don’t want to be that right now when you need to focus on something important. Irene has to be your number one priority”

“So are you” he stated. “I need you by my side not far away so get that thought out of your head, alright?. What I do need for you to do is to work. We’ve been in the hospital for three days and if you want to help find the man who took Irene, you need to get cracking”

“You want me to leave now?”

“I don’t WANT you to leave, but I think it would be right if you assist Captain Gregson soon”

She sighed, hesitating whether she should listen to him or not. Part of her thought he was right about starting the investigation as soon as possible, but the other part wanted to stay by side every second she had.  She wasn’t quite sure which one she should listen first.

He must have sensed her hesitation because the next second his arms circled her waist, pushing her body towards his, her hands firmly against his chest feeling the beating on his heart against her palm. His lips covered hers in tender kiss, she responded immediately, her hands travelling across his warm chest and into his neck.

She was the first one to pull away, slowly and gradually, only when it suddenly hit her they were not alone anymore and Irene, no matter how tired she was, could walk out of her room in any minute.

“Are you going to be okay alone?” she whispered, his hands still firmly on the small of her back. 

“Yes” he whispered back, kissing her one more time before she pulls away, his arms dropping slowly at his sides. 

Sherlock watched her as she walked out of the kitchen, slowly breathing in and out as he stood alone in the room.

.

.

 

“Holmes really isn’t coming uh?” Gregson asked her the minute she walked into the crime scene. She understood how odd it was for him not to see Sherlock lurking around but she was certain he also understood the reason why he had pulled himself away.

“Yeah, he wants to take care of Irene”  she spoke, walking further into the house with Gregson by his side.

“How are you holding up?”  he asked her, she was suddenly taken aback by his question. “With all the ‘boyfriend’s ex being alive’ situation?”

“I’m okay…I mean I’m fine with it. I’m glad she’s alive, if that’s what you’re wondering and I’m also glad Sherlock is happy so…”

“Is she staying with you?”

“Yes”

Gregson nodded slowly, looking around as they walked around the house. Cop flashed pictures of every little bit they could take, Joan was momentarily distracted by the lights and the murmurs but then she focused on his reaction at her answer. It was as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know exactly how.

“I know its complicated, but she had no place to stay and you know how responsible Sherlock felt about her” Joan spoke.

“Whatever you do, or they way you and Sherlock decide to live is not of my concern” Gregson told her “But I don’t only consider myself your boss or Holmes but also a friend, allow me to voice my concern about what are you two doing with a woman who no long than a year ago was dead and now she mysteriously shows up, alright? I’m pretty sure Sherlock is smart enough to know when someone’s lying, but I’m afraid he’s blinded by her and if something happens he will drag you along with it.”

"Thank you. I appreciate your concern, but we're fine" she smiled gratefully

"Okay, I'm glad you know what you're doing. Sherlock, on the other hand..."

"I'm gonna be there to make sure he doesn't do anything crazy"

Though when it came to Irene she wasn't sure he would listen.

.

.

 

She felt two strong hands on her hips, lips on the exposed skin on her neck. She smiled and lean into the warm body behind her. She loved mornings like this, when he was as tender as he had been the night before, when he always looked for ways to having her close. Just like now.

“Good morning to you to” she told him, his lips travelling from her neck and towards the soft spot behind her ear.  She turned around so they were face to face, Sherlock’s hands tight around her waist.

“I have to go buy something to eat, the fridge is empty and I don’t want any of my women to starve” He stopped talking when she noticed how uncomfortable she was at his words, immediately regretting speaking “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I’m sorry”

“Its okay. Slip of the tongue, no big deal”

But it was a big deal. No matter how much she tries not to care about Irene being there, she can’t help it. She  knows she’s part of his life, she learned how to live with that when he told her the truth about her, she knew it was going to be hard to fight against a ghost, but it was ten times harder to fight against a woman who was so close now.

“Would like to come with me?”  he asked her, trying to lighten the mood.

“No, someone has to stay with Irene. You go”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. You go and I’ll stay in case she needs something, you could use the fresh air you’ve been locked here for hours”

“Alright.” He spoke, dropping one more kiss but this time on her lips, which Joan responded contently. “I’ll be back soon”

He was quickly out of the door, Joan looked at her surroundings and sighed.  She still couldn’t erase the uneasiness off her heart.

The door leading to Irene’s room cracked slowly. Joan turned around to see the woman standing there, just glaring back without saying a word.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Joan asked her. Irene smiled warmly at her, and shook her head.

"No, you didn't. I've been awake for a while"

"Can I offer you something to drink? A cup of tea?"

"No thank you, I'm fine" she responded "Is Sherlock out?"

"Yes, he went to buy something for lunch. He’ll be back soon, though” Joan explained. They remained silent for a few seconds, Joan didn’t quite know how to approach her since the last time they were in the same room Sherlock.

“He’s nice with you” Irene spoke suddenly. Joan frowned at her statement. She was obviously and clearly talking about Sherlock, she felt “He’s nicer to you than he ever was with me. Not that I’m complaining,  since what we had was hardly a relationship at all. It was more physical you know? We spent wonderful hours in bed; he talked none stop about everything. Does he still do that?”

“I’m sorry I….” Joan swallowed hard, shifting on her spot uncomfortably, convinced the only reason why she was talking about this was to make her feel exactly that.  “I don’t think we should be talking about my relationship with Sherlock”

“Why not? Oh I get it. It’s weird”

“You could say that” Joan whispered.

“I know it’s strange, all of this” Irene told her, taking a few steps towards her. “I know me living under the same roof , with both of you bit odd, but I want you to know that I will never get between you and Sherlock. He loves you, perhaps not the same way he loved me…”

Joan shifted again, the conversation getting more and more disturbing by the minute, but Irene didn’t seem to care at all, for she kept talking. How she wished for Sherlock to be back soon.

“I didn’t mean to say that…” Irene immediately apologized.

“I know what you mean” Joan interrupted her, eyeing her suspiciously. Somehow she couldn’t trust in her words at all. “And I will stand by my word, I don’t want to discuss my relationship with Sherlock”  

“Of course, I understand”

The front door opened, Sherlock walked in with a few paper bags in both hands. He stopped midway into the kitchen when he saw both woman standing in front of each other and could sense the tension between them.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes, everything is fine” Joan responded. Irene grinned weakly at him to then turn around towards her room without another word.

“Did something happen between you two?” Sherlock asked again, dropping the bags on the kitchen table as he spoke.

“No, we were just…talking about things”

“Are you sure? Because she didn’t look very happy. Did you ask her something?”

“No. No I didn’t.” she quickly responded “Well now that you’re here, I think I better take off. I want to talk with Gregson if he found a new lead”

.

.

 

Mr Stepleton left a rose for Irene and everything changed. Sherlock feared there were being watched by Moriarty and Joan didn’t blame him. He had managed to take Irene some place safe, because she was confident he wouldn’t handle her being hurt again because of him.

She had her doubts. They were floating slowly and gradually, she wanted to think her possessive girlfriend side was showing up but it wasn’t, not really. She would lying though if having Irene now wasn’t an issue, because it was. Especially after the conversation they had, which she couldn’t quite get out of her head, no matter how sure she was of Sherlock’s love for her. Joan feared Irene was manipulating her into pushing herself away from him and she couldn’t keep the thought away.

“It doesn’t make any sense” Joan stated. Gregson eyed her as she spoke but listened to her silently. “Why go into all that trouble to mess with Irene’s head? All the evidence says Isaac Proctor is a professional not a psychopath. I just don’t understand…”

“Maybe he’s still following orders, right?” Bell spoke

“Maybe…” she whispered, unable to hide her uneasiness.

“Is there something else bothering you? Other than Proctor being inside your house?” Gregson asked her. She shifted on her seat, feeling somewhat exposed to both men but also somewhat eager to voice her concerns.

“I know you might think this is me being a jealous girlfriend but, there’s something odd about Irene” she told them. Both men frowned at her words. “We had a strange conversation a few days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. It felt to me as if she was manipulating me into questioning my relationship with him. I know this might seem nothing you either of you but…I don’t…I don’t think she’s good”

She didn’t know exactly how to put her feelings into words without sounding like a woman having a jealous fit, or without sounding like someone who was seeing something that wasn’t really there. Maybe Irene’s intentions were not bad, maybe she was lost, maybe she was expressing her feelings and nothing more than that.

“It’s okay if you have doubts about your boyfriend’s ex girlfriend” Gregson spoke “but you have to understand she’s been through hell. She was taken away from the man she cared about, locked up for a year and a half away from the world, then to come back and see how everything about her life changed. Perhaps what she needs is space, and time”

“Yeah, you’re right” she sighed “I’m just…worried and can’t help but feeling there’s something more. Something we’re missing about all this.”

Before the conversation could continue her phone vibrated in her hand, she looked at it; a text from Sherlock, just half an hour after she had sent hers after disappearing from their house.  She excused herself and went to meet him.

He was sitting on a half dark room, his chair pressed against the corner. She closed the door behind her quickly.  There was something completely un-Sherlock-like about his behavior, she couldn’t help but noticed, he didn’t greet her like he normally did, he didn’t make eye contact with her when she explained the latest information about the case and he wanted to remain as quiet as possible about everything he did. Something deep within her told her there he was hiding something.

“I’m leaving New York” he spoke suddenly. Joan frowned, taken aback by his words, but understanding the reason of his odd behavior.

“What?”

“I promised Irene I would keep her safe, and that won’t happen while she’s in here” he explained. Joan’s heart crushed inside her chest, feeling anger and sadness rising within her.

“So you’re just walking away? Just like that, with no explanation?”

“I came here to explain. I came here to tell you that….” He swallowed hard, looking down at his hands resting on his lap momentarily. “I’m sorry, but owe this to her. Everything she went through is because of me, this is my chance to save her.”

“What about me?” she asked, silent tears running down her cheeks. “Are you going to walk away and leave me like this?”

“Watson I love you” he told her, hoping it would ease the pain but it didn’t.  She cried more with each word he spoke. “I love you like I never loved anyone in my entire life. You mean the world to me,  but Irene died because of what I’ve done. Moriarty wants to hurt her in ways I can only imagine and my only intention is to make sure she’s safe, that her life won’t be destroyed once again. I don’t want you to question my feelings for you…”

“This is what he wants” Joan told him “This is what Moriarty wants you to do and this is a mistake”

He slowly got up from his chair, taking slow steps towards her. His hands reached for her face, caressing her cheeks and wiping away her tears.

“I love you”

“Then don’t leave” she pleaded “don’t let him do this to you, don’t let Moriarty win”

“I’m not letting him win. I’m saving a life” he told her “and perhaps, if you destroy his enterprise while I’m gone you can save many more”

“Will you…will you come back to me?” she asked in a whisper, swallowing the lump on her throat.

“always”

He walked away, closing the door behind him without looking back. Joan stood in the middle of the room, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed and mourned the lost of him.

THE END


End file.
